Smart Home Solutions Using Wi-Fi-based Hardware

Home automation technology has been increasingly important in our lives, since it offers numerous advantages, e.g., greater comfort, safety, security and energy efficiency. A smart home automation system usually includes a central computer with deployed home automation software and several distributed sensors and actuators. Wired connections between a central computer and sensor/actuator nodes are already well established, however, wireless solutions are an emerging trend. This work addresses smart home automation solutions that are based on wireless Wi-Fi network. Such solutions enable an upgrade of an existing house into a smart house without modifications of hardware installations. The article includes an overview of related works in this research field, and a case study of cost effective home automation solution that is based on open source home automation software and wireless, custom developed, Wi-Fi based hardware

The value of spect when added to planar scintigraphy in patients with metastases and benign disease of the spine

Namjera rada bila je utvrditi da li je SPECT scintigrafijom moguća sigurnija diferencijacija među benignim i malignim lezijama u kralježnici i da li postoji razlika u senzitivitetu između tih metoda. Planirana i SPECT scintigrafija su bile obavljene kod 37 bolesnika s bolovima u kralježnici bez poznate maligne bolesti i kod 38 bolesnika s poznatim malignomom. Lokalizacija, tip i jakost akumulacije radioindikatora su bili uspoređeni na planarnoj i SPECT scintigrafiji. Malignitet ili benigno značenje lezija je bilo dokazano radiološkim metodama, histologijom i 6-mjesečnim praćenjem bolesnika uz ponavljanje relevantnih pretraga. Više metastaza je bilo otkriveno pomoću SPECT-a (58/64 - 90,6%) u odnosu na planarnu scintigrafiju (42/64 - 65,6%, p<0,01). U 3/7 bolesnika s poznatim malignomom, kod kojih je Ljublplanirani sken bio normalan, SPECT je pokazao metastaze. Lezije su bile kontrastnije na SPECT-u. Promjene koje su bile na rubovima kralježaka, u fasetnim zglobovima ili u spinozusima gotovo uvijek su bile benigne, a u pediklima, korpusima s ekstenzijom u pedikle, unutar korpusa ili u cijelim kralješcima često su bile maligne. Većina benignih i malignih lezija bila je na planiranim scintigramima i SPECT-u vruća. SPECT je više metastaza pokazao u obliku hladnih lezija (12/58) u usporedbi s planarnom scintigrafijom (2/42) p<0,01. SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) omogućava veći broj pravilnih ocjena bolesti ako se doda planarnoj scintigrafiji kralježnice kod bolesnika s poznatim malignomom i kliničkom sumnjom na metastaze u skeletu, osobito kod bolesnika s graničnom značajnošću promjena na planarnom scintigramu i kod bolesnika sa solitarnom lezijom u kralježnici.Aim: The purpose of this study was to establish whether SPECT was more accurate than planar scintigraphy at differentiating between malignant and benign lesions and to compare the sensitivity of both methods in detection of metastases in the spine. Methods: Planar scintigraphy and SPECT were performed in 37 patients with back pain without known malignancy and 38 patients with confirmed malignancy. Location, type and intensity of tracer accumulation were compared on planar and SPECT scans. Malignant or benign nature of lesions was proven by radiological methods, histology and during 6-month follow-up. Results: More metastases were detected with SPECT (SPECT 58/64, planar sc. 42/64, p<0.01). In 3 out of 7 patients with known malignancy and normal planar scan only SPECT detected metastases. The lesion to background ratio was higher on SPECT than planar scans. Lesions showing increased radioactivity in lateral edges of the vertebral body, with prominence (n=8) or non-prominent (n=12), in terminal plate (n=3), in the spinous processus (n=29) and in facetal joint (n=29) noticed in patients with known malignancy were always benign. Lesions were more often malignant (3/5) than benign (2/5) when seen in the pedicle, in the body with extension into pedicle (14/22, vs. 8/22) as well as in case of small lesions inside the vertebral body (4/5, vs. 1/5) and increased uptake in the whole vertebra (4/6 vs. 2/6). Conclusions: SPECT can improve accuracy of planar bone scans in patients with known malignancy and clinical suspicion on skeletal metastases, in case of solitary lesions shown on planar scan, or when radioactivity in one or more vertebras is borderline increased

VALUE OF ULTRASOUND IN DIAGNOSIS OF DISEASES IN ILEOCECAL REGION

Background. Frequent clinical diagnosis of diseases in ileocecal region is inconclusive and increases with age. Graded compression ultrasonography (US) improves diagnostic accuracy of acute appendicitis but it may be more difficult to carry out in adult patients and other diseases are more frequently in them. The author’s own experience in sonography of the ileocecal region is presented in this study.Methods. 44 patients (15 m., 29 f., 11–76 y., mean 34.4 y.) with acute right lower abdominal pain (37) or with persistent pain after abdominal surgery (7) in the period from January 2000 to November 2002 were included in this study. Graded compression with convex 3.5 MHz and with linear 7.5 MHz probe on grayscale and Color Doppler sonography was performed. The results of US were correlated with operative findings (all appendicitisses, abscesses, mesenterial pseudocyst and malignancies) or with follow up (other).Results. In 11/12 (91.7%) of patients with later surgically proved appendicitis, US diagnosed it (6 without / 5 with signs of perforation and abscess). In two patients it was false positive, but in one of them operation was justified because of other pathology. In 14/37 (37.8%) of patients with indeterminate right lower abdominal pain, US diagnosed it (10) or proved (4) some other diseases such as Crohn’s disease (3), mesenteric lymphadenitis (2), infectious ileocecitis (3), ovarian tumour (1), adnexitis (1), myoma in the right part of the uterus (1) and cecal cancer (3). In 10/37 (27%) of patients a disease in ileocecal region was excluded. US falsely diagnosed appendicitis in one of these patients. In 4/7 of operated patients abscesses were found while in others abdominal wall seroma (1), Crohn’s disease (1) and adnexitis (1). Diagnostic value of US in ileocecal region: sensitivity – 0.97, specificity – 0.90.Conclusions. US is an accurate method in diagnosis of diseases in ileocecal region if graded compression with convex and high frequency linear probe on gray scale and color Doppler is performed. Because the preparation of patient is not necessary, it is regarded as appropriate method in diagnosis of acute ileocecal pathology.</p

Development and manufacture of hardware of a local positioning system

V magistrskem delu je opisan potek izdelave prototipov strojnega dela lokalnega sistema za določanje položaja. Strojni del sestoji iz tiskanih vezij (napajalni in krmilni modul) in plastičnih s 3D tiskalnikom natisnjenih ohišij. Za delovanje sistema so potrebni vsaj štirje kompleti – 3x fiksni objekt (anchor) in 1x premikajoči objekt (tag), ki med seboj komunicirajo preko senzorskega modula DWM1000 in krmilnika ESP32-WROVER. Z uporabo metode trilateracije se na podlagi treh razdalj izračunava položaj premikajočega objekta v prostoru. Predstavljeni so tudi rezultati testiranja, ki je potekalo na poligonu brez ovir površine 4 m2 (kvadratno polje 2x2 m – s točkami na razdalji 25 cm).The master’s thesis describes the process of development and manufacture prototypes of hardware of a local positioning system. Hardware consists PCBs (power supply and control modules) and plastic 3D printed housings. At least four sets are required for the system to work - 3x fixed object (anchor) and 1x moving object (tag), which communicate with each other via the DWM1000 sensor module and the ESP32-WROVER controller. The position of the tag in specific area is calculated on the basis of three distances using the trilateration method. At the end the results of the testing on a polygon without obstacles with an area of 4 m2 (square field 2x2 m - with points at a distance of 25 cm) are presented

The inhibitive effect of propolis as a corrosion inhibitor for construction materials

S klasično elektrokemijsko potenciodinamsko metodo smo proučevali inhibitorni vpliv treh naravnih produktov, dostopnih v široki potrošnji, na bakru v kislem mediju. Izbrali smo t. i. »čebelje produkte« v treh različicah in sicer: propolis, matični mleček in apisirup. V primeru propolisa smo baker predhodno zaščitili s plastjo, ki je nastala po potopitvi vzorca v etanolno raztopino stearinske kisline ob dodatku različnih koncentracij propolisa (c = 0,5-%, 1,0-%, 2,0-% ter 4,0-%). S tem smo dosegli hidrofoben karakter modificirane površine bakra, kar se je pokazalo kot rezultat z najvišjo vrednostjo inhibicijske učinkovitosti η = 93-99 %. Hidrofobna površina namreč otežuje neposreden kontakt z vodnimi raztopinami, kar simulirana raztopina kislega dežja nedvomno tudi je. Matični mleček in apisirup pa sta bila v procesu eksperimenta neposredno dodana v korozivni medij. Dosežena vrednost inhibicijske učinkovitosti je bila v tem primeru nekoliko nižja η = 80-97 %, kar pripisujemo tekmovalnemu odnosu med procesom adsorpcije in desorpcije inhibitorja na površino bakra. Desorpcija je nedvomno povzročena s korozijskimi reakcijami oz. je odvisna od hitrosti le-teh. Na osnovi dobljenih rezultatov lahko zatrdimo, da so vsi trije inhibitorji za izbran korozijski sistem dosegli visoko stopnjo inhibicije, kar jih uvršča med potencialne inhibitorje korozijskih procesov.Using the classical electrochemical potentiodynamic method, the inhibitory effect of three natural products, available for large consumption, on copper in an acid medium, was studied. The so called "bee products" of three versions, namely: propolis, royal jelly and apisirup, were chosen. In the case of propolis, the copper was modified with a layer which was formed after the immersion of the sample in an ethanolic solution of stearic acid with the addition of different concentrations of propolis (c = 0.5-%, 1.0-%, 2.0-%, 4.0-%). Thus the hydrophobic character of the modified copper surface was achieved, which led to the highest value of the inhibition efficiency η = 93-99%. This hydrophobic surface makes direct contact with aqueous solutions difficult, which is undoubtedly the case with the simulated acid rain solution. During the experiment, royal jelly and apisirup were added directly into the corrosive medium. The achieved value of the inhibition efficiency in this case was slightly lower η = 80 97%, which is due to the competitive relationship between the process of adsorption and desorption of the inhibitor on the copper surface. Desorption is undoubtedly caused by corrosion reactions, i.e. it depends on their speed. On the basis of the results obtained, it can be concluded that all three inhibitors achieved a high degree of inhibition for the chosen corrosion system, making them potential inhibitors of corrosion processes

Development and integration of wireless input/output modules into openhab home automation system

Diplomsko delo obravnava razvoj in izdelavo brezžičnih vhodno/izhodnih modulov ter njihovo integracijo v odprtokoden sistem hišne avtomatizacije openHAB. Celoten sistem hišne avtomatizacije je zgrajen hierarhično, pri čemer centralna enota (računalnik Raspberry Pi 3) s poslanimi sporočili vpliva na delovanje vhodno/izhodnih modulov. Komunikacija med centralno enoto in moduli je izvedena z uporabo brezžičnega Wi-fi omrežja in MQTT-protokola. Centralna enota, na kateri se izvaja sistem hišne avtomatizacije openHAB, mora biti za delovanje priključena v internetno omrežje. S tem je posledično omogočen oddaljen dostop preko mobilne aplikacije do programa openHAB in oddaljeno upravljanje izdelanih vhodno/izhodnih modulov.Diploma work treats development and production of wireless input/output modules and their integration into open source openHAB home automation system. Automation is performed according to the parameters set by user. The whole system has hierarchical structure, meaning that it has central unit (Raspberry Pi 3) which communicates with connected modules through messages. Communication between units is wireless via MQTT protocol. Home automation system openHAB is running on the central unit which must be connected to network. That means user has ability to remotely access the user interface from application which allows him to control his smart home

Isolation of biologically active components from hemp and analysis of the synergistic effect of mixtures of the family zingiberaceae

Namen magistrskega dela je raziskati vpliv mešanic industrijske konoplje z ingverjem, kurkumo in kardamomom. Ekstrakti so bili pridobljeni iz posameznih naravnih materialov in kot mešanice industrijske konoplje s posameznimi člani družine Zingiberaceae v razmerju 1 : 1. Pridobivali smo jih z dvema metodama, s superkritično ekstrakcijo pri p = 250 bar in T = 50 °C ter z ultrazvočno ekstrakcijo ob uporabi etanola kot topila. Višje izkoristke ekstrakcij posameznih rastlinskih materialov smo dosegli v primeru ultrazvočne ekstrakcije, z izjemo industrijske konoplje, ki se je v večji meri izločila pri superkritični ekstrakciji. Prav tako so pri omenjeni vrsti ekstrakcije mešanice industrijske konoplje z ingverjem, kurkumo in kardamomom dosegale višje izkoristke. Hkrati smo pri superkritičnem pridobivanju ekstraktov spremljali kinetiko, kjer so se najhitreje ekstrahirale komponente kurkume, medtem ko so komponente industrijske konoplje za izločitev potrebovale največ časa. Sledila je statistična obdelava podatkov, kjer smo s programom ANOVA potrdili, da ne prihaja do statistično pomembnih razlik pri antioksidantih in totalnih fenolih, hkrati pa opazili, da je prišlo do sinergističnega učinka antioksidantov v primeru mešanice industrijske konoplje in kardamoma. Pri omenjeni mešanici se prav tako izloči več alfa terpinil acetata kot pri samem kardamomu. Pozitiven vpliv mešanic smo zaznali še v primeru industrijske konoplje in ingverja, kjer se je izločilo več komponente CBD. Nadalje nam je s Pearsonovim korelacijskim testom uspeli dokazati močno statistično značilno korelacijo med antioksidanti in totalnimi fenoli, antioksidanti in biološko aktivnimi komponentami ingverja ter med samima komponentama ingverja (6-gingerolom in 6-shogaolom).The goal of the Master’s thesis is to research the effect of blends of industrial hemp with ginger, turmeric and cardamom. The extracts were obtained from different natural materials and from blends of industrial hemp with single members of the Zingiberaceae family in a 1:1 ratio. They were obtained with two methods, i.e. supercritical extraction at p = 250 bar and T = 50 °C, and ultrasonic extraction using ethanol as a solvent. A higher rate of extraction of the single plant materials was obtained with ultrasonic extraction, with the exception of industrial hemp, which was released at a higher rate with supercritical extraction. With the supercritical extraction method the rate of extraction was higher also for industrial hemp blends with ginger, turmeric and cardamom. At the same time, we monitored the kinetics of supercritical extraction, where the extraction of turmeric compounds occurred the fastest, whereas the extraction of industrial hemp compounds took the longest. The extractions were followed by the processing of data, which was carried out with the ANOVA software and confirmed that there are no statistically significant differences in antioxidants and total phenols. At the same time, we observed a synergistic effect in the blend of industrial hemp and cardamom. Furthermore, in this blend more alpha-terpinyl acetate is released than in pure cardamom. A positive effect of blends was observed also in the industrial hemp-ginger blend, where more of the CBD component was released. Moreover, with the Pearson correlation test we proved a strong statistically significant correlation between antioxidants and total phenols, between antioxidants and biologically active compounds of ginger, as well as between the single compounds of ginger (6-gingerol and 6-shogaol)

Development of artificial leather from plant waste

Namen diplomske naloge je bil raziskati razvoj umetnega usnja iz odpadnega rastlinskega materiala po postopku, ki ne vključuje sintetičnih spojin in je najmanj škodljiv okolju. Odpadni rastlinski materiali, uporabljeni za izdelavo umetnega usnja, so bili listi octovca, koščica avokada, lupina granatnega jabolka in korenika japonskega dresnika. Izdelava umetnega usnja je vključevala pripravo rastlinskega ekstrakta, dodatek zgostila, plastifikatorja in tekstilije. Na končnem kompozitu (umetno usnje) je bil proučen vpliv nefiltriranega in filtriranega rastlinskega ekstrakta, tri vrste zgostila (100 % agar, mešanica agarja-maltodekstrina (30/70) in natrijev alginat), temperatura sušenja (sobna temperatura ter temperaturi 50 °C in 70 °C) ter dodatek tekstilije. V poskusih izdelave kompozita z agarjem so bili uporabljeni tudi dodatki, kot sta hitozan in mleta jajčna lupina. Dodatek tekstilije je bil proučen z namenom povečanja stabilnosti kompozita, uporabljene so bile bombažna tkanina, liocelna vlaknovina in zmleta odpadna konopljina vlakna. Ugotavljali smo obstojnost kompozitov v vodi, obstojnost na detergente in krčenje. Iz najbolj optimalne recepture je bil izdelan večji format kompozita, ki je bil sestavljen iz filtriranega ekstrakta olupkov granatnega jabolka, glicerina, natrijevega alginata in s tekstilno podlago iz mercerizirane bombažne tkanine. Z namenom predstavitve uporabnosti novega materiala je bila po principu oblikovanja in izdelave usnjenih izdelkov izdelana manjša torbica.The purpose of the thesis was the development of artificial leather from waste plant material using a process that does not include synthetic compounds and is the least harmful to the environment. The waste plant materials used to make artificial leather were staghorn sumac leaves, avocado pits, pomegranate peels and Japanese knotweed rhizomes. The production of artificial leather included the preparation of a plant extract, the addition of thickener, plasticizer and textiles. The study investigated the influence of various factors, including the use of unfiltered and filtered plant extract, three types of thickeners (100% agar, agar-maltodextrin mixture (30/70), and sodium alginate), different drying temperatures (room temperature, 50 °C, and 70 °C), and the incorporation of textiles, on the final composite (artificial leather). Additives such as chitosan and ground eggshell were also used in attempts to make an agar-based composite. The addition of textiles was studied in order to increase the stability of the composite. The textiles used included cotton fabric, lyocell fabric, and ground waste hemp fiber. The durability of the composites in water, the resistance to detergents and shrinkage were also determined. A larger format of the composite was made from the most optimal recipe. The material was composed of a filtered extract of pomegranate peels, glycerine, sodium alginate, and a textile base made of mercerized cotton fabric. To demonstrate the usefulness of the new material, a small bag was made following the principles of designing and manufacturing leather products

Traditional agricultural landscape in Goričko Landscape Park (Slovenia) : distribution and variety of riparian stream corridors and patches

Goričko Landscape Park is a well-preserved example of typical Central-Europeanagricultural landscape. We used modified PHYSIS typology to describe and classify different habitat types (HT), especially the riparian stream corridors and patches (RSCP)-habitats of riparian woody stands occurring outside the closed woodland. The RSCP of Goričko were categorized into 107 HT, which cover 1.35% of the 45,000 ha in Goričko. The ash-alder vegetation is the most widespread riparian HT. For the detailed analysis, we compared two similar areas that differ only in land-use intensity. RSCP showed slightly higher fractal dimension and significantly higher elongation index in more intensified area B. The analysis of RSCP types on these areas showed a shift, accompanying increased agricultural impact, from pure stands to mixed, from trees to scrub, from ash-alder and white willow stands to mixed riverine willow stands. The course of the intensification produced two results: arable HT were united into large, homogeneous polygons, while less usable land was abandoned. We can conclude that some of the landscape characteristics we used can be applied to detect the level of preserved traditional cultural landscape